Screaming “Aubrey!” just doesn’t feel right. Here’s the history behind the famous “Geronimo” saying.
Why Do We Say “Geronimo” When We Jump Off Stuff?
Updated on May 20, 2025
You may not know who Geronimo was, but you’ve likely heard his name. In fact, you’ve probably used the “Geronimo” saying when taking a leap—out of a plane, into a pool, off a wall. But why Geronimo? Where did it come from?
“Geronimo!” is an exclamation most commonly associated with jumping out of airplanes. That’s because the first person to say it did so while (you guessed it) jumping from a plane. But how did we get from this single use to the common “Geronimo” saying? And, for that matter, who is Geronimo?
Ahead, we’ll dive into the history of this common expression so the next time you jump, you’ll know exactly why you’re shouting “Geronimo!” instead of “Ahhhhh!”
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Who was Geronimo?
Geronimo was a Chiricahua Apache leader during the mid- to late 1800s. Though his Apache name was Goyahkla, he eventually became known as Geronimo—likely because he was a fearless fighter who resisted capture. As the Oklahoma Historical Society points out, Geronimo is the Spanish version of Jerome, and the Mexicans who fought him in battle regularly prayed to St. Jerome for help.
A fierce warrior who protected his lands against invaders, including those from Mexico and the United States, Geronimo was the last Native American leader to surrender to the United States, which he did in 1886. He spent decades doing hard labor as a prisoner of war but was recognized by his people as a true Native American hero. By 1905, his fame had grown so great that he rode in the inauguration parade for President Theodore Roosevelt.
Where did the “Geronimo” saying come from?
The phrase originated with the U.S. military. The first person to use the “Geronimo” saying was a man named Aubrey Eberhardt.
Eberhardt was a private in the U.S. Army during World War II, when the army was training soldiers to parachute from airplanes as a new method of deployment. According to Military History Now’s excerpt of Michael E. Haskew’s The Airborne in World War II: An Illustrated History of America’s Paratroopers in Action, Eberhardt’s unit at Fort Benning was one of the first to try the new tactic. The night before the big jump, the soldiers went out on the town for drinks, a movie and more drinks. The movie they most likely saw was Geronimo, a Western film about the Apache chief of the same name.
Now, young Eberhardt, armed with liquid confidence, began bragging about how he wasn’t scared to parachute the next day. The other soldiers tried to call his bluff. They said he’d probably be so scared, he wouldn’t even remember his name.
Eberhardt then exclaimed, “All right, damn it! I tell you jokers what I’m gonna do! To prove to you that I’m not scared out of my wits when I jump, I’m gonna yell ‘Geronimo’ loud as hell when I go out that door tomorrow!”
And that’s just what Eberhardt did. Eventually, the rest of his unit adopted the phrase, and it spread throughout the army. The first official Parachute Infantry Battalion even had the word put on its insignia.
Did Geronimo ever shout “Geronimo”?
Military History Now says that there’s a legend that Geronimo himself came up with the battle cry, yelling his own name as he leapt down a nearly vertical cliff on horseback to escape American troops at Fort Sill in Oklahoma.
Whether there’s truth to that story is anybody’s guess. If there’s a record of the historical figure saying that, it’s lost to history.
How do people use the “Geronimo” saying today?
Nowadays, this tradition has been carried on by adventurous folk who like jumping off various other objects, maybe imagining themselves a fearless warrior like Geronimo or a fearless military paratrooper like Eberhardt. You’ve probably said it yourself at one point. After all, screaming your own name would just be awkward.
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Sources:
- Military History Now: “‘Geronimo!’ — Why American Paratroopers Shout an Apache Chief’s Name When Jumping”
- Oklahoma Historical Society: “Geronimo”
- Britannica: “Geronimo”
